About Narcotics Anonymous

A New Way to live.help.learn.

"NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We meet regularly to help each other stay clean. ... We are not interested in what or how much you used ... but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help." Membership is open to all drug addicts, regardless of the particular drug or combination of drugs used. When adapting AA's First Step, the word addiction was substituted for alcohol, thus removing drug-specific language and reflecting the disease concept of addiction.

What Is Narcotics Anonymous

NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly
to help each other stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using.
We suggest that you keep an open mind and give yourself a break. Our program is a set of principles written so simply that
we can follow them in our daily lives. The most important thing about them is that they work.

There are no strings attached to NA. We are not affiliated
with any other organizations. We have no initiation fees or
dues, no pledges to sign, no promises to make to anyone.
We are not connected with any political, religious, or law
enforcement groups, and are under no surveillance at any
time. Anyone may join us regardless of age, race, sexual
identity, creed, religion, or lack of religion.

We are not interested in what or how much you used or who
your connections were, what you have done in the past, how
much or how little you have, but only in what you want to do
about your problem and how we can help. The newcomer is
the most important person at any meeting, because we can
only keep what we have by giving it away. We have learned
from our group experience that those who keep coming to our
meetings regularly stay clean.

Our History

1953

The founding of Narcotics Anonymous as we know it today: Together with Frank and Doris C, Guildia K, Paul R, Steve R, and others, Jimmy K founded Narcotics Anonymous in Southern California. He and these members held a series of meetings beginning 17 August 1953 in order to organize what was then referred to as “San Fernando Valley Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.” The first documented recovery meeting in Southern California was held on 5 October 1953. Jimmy is a key figure in NA’s history for several reasons. He wrote several portions of the Little White Booklet, the most famous of which is the “End of the Road” section. He designed the NA logo (later modified by the WSC). He served as the volunteer office manager of the WSO from the time it began to 1983. Jimmy K lived from 1911 to 1985. The last 36 years of his life were spent as a clean and recovering member of Narcotics Anonymous. --Excerpt from NA World Services’ NA Way Magazine ®

54-66

Early Narcotics Anonymous Literature: A significant development in the history of literature for recovering addicts occurred between 1954 and 1956 when NA developed a pamphlet that is variably known as the Little Brown Book, the Buff Book, or the Little Yellow Book. Following the near death of NA in 1959, Jimmy K., Silvia W., and Penny K. undertook the writing of new NA literature. Who Is an Addict?, What Can I Do?, What Is the NA Program?, Why Are We Here?, and Recovery and Relapse were all written during 1960, and We Do Recover was completed in 1961. These writings, along with the Steps and Traditions, were consolidated into a publication called the Little White Booklet—also known as the White Book—which was first published in 1961 and to which personal stories were added in 1966. The White Book served as the primary piece of NA literature for the next 20 years and provided the framework for the later development of NA’s Basic Text.

1979

Joseph P starts the first meeting NA meeting in Memphis.

1982

As the cry for literature, particularly a comprehensive text, became more widespread, the WSC Literature Committee developed. In October 1979, the first World Literature Conference was held in Wichita, Kansas, followed by conferences in Lincoln, Nebraska; Memphis, Tennessee; Santa Monica, California; Warren, Ohio; and Miami, Florida... The WSC Literature Subcommittee, working in conference and as individuals, has collected hundreds of pages of material from members and groups throughout the Fellowship. This material has been laboriously catalogued, edited, assembled, dismembered and reassembled. Dozens of area and regional representatives working with the Literature Committee have dedicated thousands of man-hours to produce the work presented here. But more importantly, those members have conscientiously sought to ensure a “group conscience” text... Appropriately, this book is devoted to informing every addict: just for today, you never have to use again! --Excerpt from Preface to the 1st Edition, published in 1982

1989

The First NA in May was held in 1989. Our very own area Campvention & BBQ Competition was started to give addicts a safe alternative to Memphis in May.